USAF photo by Alexander Goad. The U.S. Air Force issued new guidelines on Friday giving members who wear religious apparel a way to serve the country without compromising their faith. Sikh American airman in U.S. Air Force allowed to serve with turban and Air Force and Space Force Consider Testing Out Beards There are many religious reasons why people might choose to grow a beard. The Air Force, citing privacy concerns, declined to identify how many airmen have obtained waivers based on religious exemptions but said the publicity surrounding approvals in recent years has . Air Force revises grooming rules to accommodate religious beards - BJC &w\=xi~Wh^iz`b=)!]T;iMC.OXm(+N*uHe{5"@"o$n*uQI'JHyLij%O&Q3 .\nOemNKW2j2ttYK9sll?hyA/fQ/lF\ pVyH0qd~T#o[Bpi*In=mS hU f[6rx~ 8;GO yNb4.A`t`Wj Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. This is a volunteers proposal.. Sopchak said in a Tuesday interview that in the old sagas, a beard was a sign someone was a respected member of the community who could be trusted to help others. At the end of the day, while we are continually out in front with initiatives that provide more opportunities for our airmen to serve to their full potential, we are cognizant that we are part of a broader military force.. endobj safety) or when precluded by a compelling (i.e., especially important) governmental and/or Air Force interest. This new study shows that changing beard regulations may actually be a need, rather than a want, because the current policy essentially discriminates against Black airmen. He received a beard waiver on July 8, 2019. ooming and uniform standards for members who wear turbans, hijabs and beards for religious reasons. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. The religious accommodation process isn't designed for individuals to play the God/conscience card to get around things they don't like. Abdul Rahman Gaitan in 2018 became the first Muslim. 173rd Fighter Wing Airmen may begin taking advantage of new uniform regulations allowing religious exemptions such as beards, hijabs, and turbans while in uniform. The Quran, too, was used in a similar manner. The Air Force Surgeon General has approved five-year waivers allowing male airmen with a medical condition causing painful ingrown hairs to grow beards, the service said Tuesday. x\[o~d/Sp|A|=hdDPwfvIQuDgg?ydtx.b`1K55'V#wLDP,(Wj Beards could be two months away in the Air Force. The Air Force encourages religious freedoms of service members as one of four pillars of resiliency to help build and sustain a strong and healthy workplace and community. Air Force Special Operations Airman becomes first-ever religious waiver The Air Force currently prohibits service members from growing beards unless they are granted a religious or medical waiver, a policy that has come under scrutiny lately after military doctors studied its discriminatory effect on Black airmen. There are conflicting published reports from the civilian sector with regard to the impact of facial hair on P2/N95 [face masks] fit testing, and none that we are aware of evaluating facial hair impact on military gas mask fit. the authors wrote. As of Jan. 21, the Air Force has administratively separated 111 active duty Airmen. US Air Force grants religious waiver for Muslim airman to keep beard The U. S. Air Force has published new guidance for religious accommodations that allow airmen to wear beards, turbans and hijabs. With the 'modern American in mind,' Air Force OKs neck and hand tattoos Religious Beards in the Workplace: Are Pagans Allowed Beards Here are some active soldiers who have been allowed to keep their facial hair. 0. While the Air Force prohibits male members from growing beards, waivers are issued to airmen who, for medical and religious reasons, are not able to shave in line with regulations. Muslim, Sikh and pagan members of the Air Force have individually requested and received waivers for religious apparel and beards in recent years, but this is the first time the guidelines and the accompanying approval process are being standardized. The comment, which was also shared on the popular Facebook page Air Force amn/nco/snco, was made in response to a selfie she posted of herself alongside Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Airman 1st Class Kyle Voss-McReynolds, who was the leadership teams driver during a recent event and who also wears a beard in uniform. It is a sincerely held belief, but I have not been a Muslim for long, only a couple weeks. This condition can appear in a person of any ethnicity but is predominantly seen in Blacks/African Americans, study authors wrote. The new version of the service's dress and appearance standards policy allows tattoos up to 1 . The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. In December, The Air Force released a sweeping review which found that Black service members are disproportionately punished and promoted more slowly when compared to their White peers. He also consulted with The Asatru Community, a nonprofit group that advocates for followers of Norse pagan religions. 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The updated Air Force Instruction, released Feb. 7, also formally allows Sikh airmen to wear turbans and Muslim women to wear hijabs. The NATO allies who allow their service members to grow beards also do not have studies showing the impact of facial hair on gas masks, Ritchie said. David covers the Air Force, Space Force and anything Star Wars-related. The Army last year granted its first beard authorization to a Norse pagan soldier. A 'defining feature of masculine men' soldier's Norse pagan faith It interfaces with DAFPD 52-1, Chaplain Corps; Air Force Instruction (AFI) . Those calls accelerated earlier this year, when the Air Force changed its regulations to allow for women to wear braids, ponytails and bangs in order to prevent irreversible hair loss and migraines stemming from the old hair regulations. I had opportunities to hire all kinds of folks and I was adamant about not hiring somebody with a shaving waiver, just because I fell into that category of this is Air Force policy, its not professional, he said. The Air Force has granted several airmen permission to wear beards, turbans and the hijab for religious reasons in recent years. Its kind of a big thing, culturally.. And in June, a Sikh airman received approval to wear a beard and turban. PDF Commander's discretion may be used to determine if individual's personal US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jackson Manske. We speculate that these members, irrespective of race/ethnicity, may perceive this bias against shaving waivers and choose to leave the service earlier.. Kuzminski said it makes the Air Force and Space Force the first branches to look at a facial hair pilot program not tied to a religious or medical waiver, which would help normalize facial hair . Chief Bass comment demonstrates her commitment to changing the culture, and there seems to be some progress already. United States Air Force members who refused to take the COVID vaccine for religious reasons will soon get a reprieve from the punitive actions the military took against them.. The Air Force currently prohibits service members from growing beards unless they are granted a religious or medical waiver, a policy that has come under scrutiny lately after military. He also hopes to grow the Heathen community in the area around Hill. Airman becomes the first Muslim to be granted service's beard waiver Last August, he went to his units chaplain an evangelical Christian who Sopchak said was very supportive and curious about his Heathen religion who helped him put together the paperwork for his religious accommodation request. There is no potential timeline for approval, because it isnt even at that stage, she said. Last year, Capt. Abdul Rahman Gaitan became the first Muslim airman to receive a religious accommodation beard waiver. Its unclear how many people currently use shaving waivers. Singh wanted to serve in the U.S. military to defend the country that had taken his family in, according to the Sikh Coalition.